Painting My Car! Suggest paint!!! & Prep?

[lightsource]

Ok, so...

(no offense & thanks for the suggestions prior) Screw the rust-oleum.

My dad just told me that we have an HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) setup in the garage. Sure enough I tested it out and sure enough it works.

Flat Black is the color.

So, I need to know what brand of paint is best for me to get. I'm going to sand the car down, I need to know what sand paper to get. I have a regular house sander but do I need to get something else if I'm going to do the entire car? Anything in the $200 price range is fine.

Thanks in advance. :snoop:

[MaD ViLLaiN]

yikes good luck with that! hope it turns out good

[silviaguy240]

dupont hot rodz flat black

[h22speed]

im sure you could find a how to paint job if you searched... i know i have

[Ben G]

before you paint your car read this it will help you out a lot

http://zilvia.net/f/archive-faqs/141460-how-paint-your-own-ride-under-300-a.html

[ZX88]

add sparkles.

[broken240sx]

PPG basecoat/clearcoat.

MC161 clearcoat is the shit... it goes on nice and smooth, dries nice and fast, perfect for garage jobs...

basecoat is easy because you can sand in between coats if you fuck up (don't wet sand in between coats or you have to wait 24 hours to dry, paint is porous)

The clearcoat is the critical step because that's your finisher...

MC161 with the slowest activator, get some orange peel remover additive, and your good.

It's a BIG job man. Be ready.

Also, PPG is reasonably priced

[CrimsonRockett]

Search.

Good luck!

(Seriously though, search. A lot of people have different methods when in comes to painting cars. Search. Read as much as you possibly can, then go with whatever route you decide on.)

[DALAZ_68]

Search.

Good luck!

(Seriously though, search. A lot of people have different methods when in comes to painting cars. Search. Read as much as you possibly can, then go with whatever route you decide on.)take it from someone who knows his shit :bigok:

[s13dan]

Get a DA(daul action)sander, PPG is great BUT do you have Sickens in Cali? We have a brand here called Sickens and its the same thing as PPG just about 1/2 the price. Its great paint. And Fuck DuPont, i have always hated Dupont, mostly because of there sales reps, and customer service. As for prep i dont have enough time to explain all you need to know so just do a lot of research and dont half ass it.

[silpena]

i dont belive cali has sikens anymore becuase the voc exceeds 3.9 which is the cali limit.. i think we have shopline as a replaceent for sickens. Hmm i like dupont. I never talked to the sales guys or customer dervice i just go straight to the msd if i have issues. A good da sander, a good set of blocks.v HE can reseach all he wants but the real way to learn is to listen to others or watch others show you. Btw s13dan if u like u wanna team up on a write up he hheh?
oh yeah depending on what ur doing like if u r gonna do any repairs or just sanding the car down for paint then use 180 grit to remove the clear coat(just the clear not the base or else youll be hitting primer in no time). Then wet sand the car with 320-600 grit making sure to stop if u see an primer and back off. The last thing you want to is go ahead and re primer a spot becuase you got too anxious. More money being wasted here. If your shoot the whole a different color the oem color then i would get a primer sealer to provide better adheasion/ uniform color/ prevent bleed through.
do not get orange peel additve.. thats just cheating and shows you cannot paint or mix and reducer paint right, plus picking the slowest activator is wrong. Ideal temp for paint is 70-80 degrees. Its been proven. that should be a mid temp hardener or reducer.
since your in socal your limited on what you can get since our paints have less solvent and materials which = more money for more materials. You can get by for under 200.00 in materials if you stick to a single stage. The reason i say this becuase its not just the paint(cheapest) you will need. You have ur tape, making paper, mask, gloves, suit, wax/greese remover. You'll be in at least 400-500 in just the material if you want to prep the car for paint. Add about anther 200 for all the paper, blocks,pads, new d.a.sander. Maybe primer surfacer if you over sand in certain areas or do improper sanding. Oh and please if you do have to primer small spots do not dape it off in squares, cirlces. It creates hard edges and will show up in the sun after your car is painted. If u like i will tell how to reverse mask to feather it out.

Btw. What gun do you have? needle size, brand? hvlp, lvlp, gravity or siphon?

[lightsource]

What's a good air compressor for a beginner.

[gregfarz78]

A 40-60 gallon compressor should work fine, they aren't cheap though a decent one will run you $400-500 but its a well worthwhile investment and should last you many years. The key is look at the scfm requirements of the hvlp gun and make sure your compressor can at least match that.

[broken240sx]

What's a good air compressor for a beginner.


I used a twenty gallon husky/home depot that I got a few years back for 200$

The gun uses such low pressure that you actually have a good reserve in that size tank.

I was able to spray a whole coat without ever waiting for the compressor to cycle (monitoring pressure via a gauge at the gun.)

[broken240sx]

Also, if you're investing in equipment, buy a filter/separator for your air line. You won't have much condensation to start with in a brand new compressor, but if it's humid out, you'll get better results with one.

[silpena]

at least 30 gallon and 5hp req. Depending on your gun. Most of the best guns are air hogs. If your going to be running a da you better have a 60 gallon at least with 5-7 hp running 15cfm or more at 90psi. Do not get an oil less compressor. they are crap. I would get a gas one. I like them becuase they can handle so much abuse but then youll be into around 700 for a good one. Another thing you can do is get a smaller compressor and look for a 30-60 gallon air tanks and run them in line to hold more air. Youll be waiting for awhile to fill them up but at least you wont run out of air as quick. LIke broken240 said a good water/oil seperator is good investment. water/oil dont mix with paint. Youll have fish eyes everywhere and itll ruin your tools quick.
Hit up craigslist for good deals orthe flea market. Thats whats i do. Also you need knoq that depending on the hose length youll lose pressure. I forgot the formula... i think for every 10 feet you lose 2lbs of pressure.

[lightsource]

Sorry, I didn't clarify.

I have a compressor for my HVLP, I'm talking about for the DA?

[silpena]

wait u have a compressor for ur gun but not da? what kind of gun are u using? is it an automotive gun or a gun attatched to a compressor to paint houses? If you want just buy an extra 30-60 gallon air tank to hold more air to run the da. d.a.'s require alot of cfm.

[s13dan]

-When doing bodywork remember you NOT trying to get the car smooth your trying to get the car LEVEL!your trying to level up the dents with the orignal shape of the car.

Taping is very important. Go slow and tape right. The last thing you want is hard tape line everywhere. Tape line are the EASIEST way to tell if a car has been repainted. Back tape, open the panel and apply from the inside with the sticky side out. And think if you want the color to blow or not. Do you want the new color in the door jams and under the hood or not? Think about overspray too. Sprayguns are designed to get paint on everything so think about were the paint will by flying.

Yea what needle size? You can do a paint job with one gun but painting really calls for a primer gun and a seperate for color and clear. A lot of places use three guns.You might want to use a flex additive for the bumper, especially if you take your bumper on and off a lot.What everyone has said so far is accurate. The water and oil seperater is a great thing to have.

Making a paint booth in a garage is doable. You can put some box fans under the garage door and vent that way. If you can, wet the walls and floors with a hose before you paint, this captures all the dust.Pretty much just keep it CLEAN!

As for technique, keep you hand an even distance from the car when spraying. Overlap about 50% and you want no shine if painting with base/clear until you get to the clear coat.With you none spraying hand keep the hose behind you, and dont ware baggy cloths.If you paint the hole thing with no runs your not spraying wet enough.

As for saftey use a respirator to make you feel better but most of the harmful chemicals that enter you body from a spraygun come in through your eyes.So without a fresh air system you just ganna have to take breaks and keep the booth venting.

I have no time for spellcheck srry.
-Does the car need any metal work?
-Does the car have any rust?

WE NEED AN FAQ PAINT STICKY!

[lightsource]

ok, I'm trying to retain this information its so much. I appreciate everyone's responses.

The car does need metal work, just some minor dents, bitches hitting my car while I was away but nothing too serious.

The car does not have any rust.